A BOLTON man who was part of a gang which “flooded the streets” with £117 million worth of drugs has been jailed for 20 years.

Trevor Holland, of Brazley Avenue, Horwich, was found guilty of two plots to smuggle cocaine and cannabis after playing a “significant” part in setting up a complex scam to bring the drugs into the country.

His brother-in-law, Michael Pollard, aged 47, of Rydal Crescent, Worsley, was found guilty of the same charge and jailed for 23 years, after being described as a “manager” in the sophisticated operation.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the gang used sophisticated methods and attempted to import 22 tonnes of drugs.

They used legitimate shipping companies to bring in the drugs, often disguised as manuals or brochures, to virtual or small, rented offices across the country.

They had multiple company identities, including the fraudulent use of real company names and logos.

Offices in Bolton, Manchester, Leeds, Chorley, Cheltenham, Glasgow and Nottingham, were used by the gang.

In Spain, the drugs were carefully packaged into boxes and were frequently described as containing brochures, manuals or technical literature.

They were shipped to the UK and delivered to the virtual offices by legitimate delivery companies.

The unsuspecting office staff would then contact the “customer” and within a few hours, a “courier”

would arrive to collect the consignment.

The drugs delivered to the rented offices, mostly in Greater Manchester and Bolton, were personally collected by gang members and passed on for sale.

Judge David Aubrey, QC, said: “This organisation had two aims—the first to smuggle massive quantities of cocaine and cannabis into the UK from Spain and the second was pounds, shillings and pence. This conspiracy was professional, well planned, well prepared, well executed, sophisticated and prolonged.

“Your organisation flooded the streets, pubs and clubs the length and breadth of this country with class-A and class-B drugs with a minimum street value of £117 million or was your intention to do so.”

The existence of the gang came to light in November, 2008, after staff at a business service centre in Cheltenham grew suspicious of a number of packages which had been delivered to them and called police.

Arrests were carried out nationwide and drugs were seized, and there was evidence of further consigments were found which meant at least £117 million of drugs had been smuggled.

There were at least 10 consignments of cocaine with a street value of £30 million and a minimum of 95 consignments of cannabis with a street value of £87 million.

Holland, aged 32, was said to have played a significant role in the operation.

Paul Hewett, aged 53, of Heath Lane, Ewshott, Farnham, Surrey, pleaded guilty to smuggling cocaine and cannabis and was jailed for 23 years.

Karla Reeves, aged 26, of Westlands Avenue, Grimsby, admitted both offences and was jailed for 16 years.

Wayne Reed, aged 25, of Stockton Road, Hartlepool, was jailed for 13 years and four months for the same after pleading guilty.

Glen Cornick, aged 38, of Salisbury Road, Blandford Forum, Dorset, admitted the cannabis offence and was jailed for nine and a half years.

Ian Hockerday, aged 53, of New Road, Milford, Surrey, pleaded guilty to money laundering on the basis he had overseen one financial transaction and had not known it was drugs money. He was jailed for 12 months.